Hinge

ABSTRACT

A double action concealed pivot or hinge for use in connection with a door. The opening of the door causes a bracket on the door to rotate a stud connected to follower in a housing secured to the frame. The follower rotates and moves laterally a predetermined amount so as to move the vertical edge of the door from the frame a predetermined amount as the door is opened. The housing includes the follower which is in contact with a cam, and means for biasing the follower against the cam.

United States Patent Peterson [4 1 Apr. 25, 1972 [s41 HINGE 448,4563/1891 Ruge ..l6ll82 [72] Inventor: Francis C. Peterson, Affton, Mo.Primary Examiner Bbby Gay [73] Assignee; C. flagel- & Son HingeMlnufctufing Assistant Examiner-Doris L. Troutman c S L i MAttomey-Gravely', Lieder & Woodrufi [22] Fllfidi July 6, 1970 57ABSTRACT PP 52,588 A double action concealed pivot or hinge for use inconnection with a door. The opening of the door causes a bracket on 521US. Cl. ..l6/182 the mate a Stud cm1ected in a [51 1 km CL E05 1/14secured to the frame. The follower rotates and moves laterally f I I I In l l l l l a predetermined amount SO 88 t0 l'l'lOVC thfi vertical edgeof the' door from the frame a predetermined amount as the door is Iopened. The housing includes the follower which is in contact [56] Rdmnmend with a cam, and means for biasing the follower against the UNITEDSTATES PATENTS 7 3,394,428 7/1968 Peterson.... ..l6/l51 l0 Chins, 12Drawing Figures K= 2 4. I 7: -1- 2 T 4 "1"? m 4 LL'LIiIJ.flfii l i i ilfa a 2* i -I 'F'T .'""ILY TIETV .J

. IIINGE This invention relates to an improved hinge, and in-particu-'lar, to a hidden hinge or double action concealed pivot for aresometimes mounted in flush relation with the door frame.

With doors so mounted, there is a problem in providing clearance betweenthe hinge edge of the door and the door frame or cabinet wall when thedoor is opened. Unless some special provision is made, the hinge edge ofthe door-will strike the supporting frame when the dooris opened. In thepast, this has been avoided either by rounding the hinge edge of thedoor so that it clears the frame or by using hingeswhich extendoutwardly from the door so that the pivoting axis of the hinge is awayfrom the frame or by using hinges which extend slightly forwardly ofthedoor and which require the top and bottom of the door to be cut out.In each case, whether the door is rounded or thehinge is exposed toview, it detracts from the appearance of the door.

The present invention is an improvement upon the hinge shown in thePeterson US. Pat. No. 3,394,428 granted July 30, 1969, which shows ahinge or a single action door wherein the door is free to pivot only inone direction through an arc of about 90.

One of the principal objects of the present invention is to provide ahidden or concealed door hinge .for'door frames or cabinets and thelike, which hinge is substantially hidden from view. Another object isto provide an improved concealed hinge which is mounted closely adjacentto the supporting frame, which enables the'door to move outwardly awayfrom the frame as it pivots to an open position in eitherdirection.Another object is to provide a hinge which tends to return the door toits closed position.

These and other objects and advantages will become apparent hereinafter.

The present invention is embodied in a hinge for substan- 'tially hiddenuse in pivoting a door, said hinge including a housing adapted to besecured to a framein which the door is mounted, said housing having anopening therein with a wall covering said opening, said wall having anelongated opening for receiving a stud therethrough, said stud beingconnected to a follower in said housing, said follower being biased intocontacting relation with a cam in said housing, said door having abracket thereon for receiving said stud, the opening of the door causingthe bracket on the door to rotate the stud which moves the followerlaterally so as to move the door from the frame a predetermined amountas the door is being opened.

The invention also consists in the parts and in the arrangements andcombinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.'ln theaccompanying drawings which form part of this specification and whereinlike numerals and symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur:

FIGS. 1 and 2 are fragmentary side elevational views, partly incross-section, of a hinge embodying one form of the present invention,the hinge shown at the top and at the bottom of a door, respectively,

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the frame mounting membershown at the bottom of the door,

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the parts within the frame mounting memberwith the cover plate removed when the door is in its closed position, asindicated by the dotted lines,

, comprises a-hing'eH having a door mounting member I) and a Referringnow to the drawings in detail, it will be seen that the embodiment oftheinvention which has been illustrated frame mounting member F. Themembers D and F are'countersunk into the door I and frame 2,althoughsuch is not necessary for the bottom member D.

The main portion of the hinge H is the frame mounting member P whichcomprises a housing 3 having a central opening 4 which is enclosed bytwo side walls 5 and two end walls 6 which extend perpendicularly from aflat horizontal wall 7. Each side wall 5 has a thin wall portion 8 and athick wall portion 9. The housing 3 has a circular cut-out 10 adjacentto one end wall 6 with a shaft 11 in the center of said cut-out 10. Eachend wall 6 has a pin 12 thereon and two holes I3 therethrough, which arelocated on each side of the pin 12 or at the four corners of the housing3.

A horizontal platewall or cover plate 14'(FIG. l0) closes the centralopening 4 in the housing3 and is parallel to said flat horizontal wall7. The cover plate 14 has an elongated opening l5'therein and an opening15a for receiving the shaft II. The ends of the cover plate '14 (FIG.10) have holes 16 for receiving the'pins l2 and holes 17 which registerwith the holes 13 and through which screws 18 are-adapted to be insertedand screwed into position to secure the cover plate 14 to the housing 3and the entire member F within the door frame 2, or within the lowerframe or threshold if the hinge is used at the bottom of a door.

In the form of the invention shown, the shaft 11 in the central opening4receives a hearing or cam 19. The bearing 19 has an inner portion whichis connected to the shaft 11' by a press tit and an outer portion withball bearings therebetween so that said outer portion may rotate freelyabout the inner portion and the shaft 11. The bearing 19 contacts thewall 7 and is free to rotate about the shaft 11, if desired, to reducefriction. A cam or follower 20 contacts the bearing 19 and is adapted tomove laterally with respect to the thin wall portions 8 of the sidewalls 5. A-guide or slide 21 having a spring guide FIG. 5 is a top planview similar to FIG. 4, but showing the parts as they are when the dooris partially open in one direction,

FIG. 6 is a top plan view similar to FIG. 5, but showing the parts asthey are when the door is partially open in a direction opposite to thatshown in FIG. 5,

FIGS. 7, 8, and 9 are a top plan view, a side elevational view, and afront elevational view respectively of the follower,

FIG. 10 is a top plan view of the cover plate which closes the housingof the frame mounting member,

FIG. 11 is a top plan view of the top bracket, and

FIG. I2 is a perspective view of the bottom bracket.

walls 5 and is biased toward the follower 20 by means of a spring 23.The spring 23 circumscribes the spring guide 22 connected to the slide21 and abuts against the end wall 6 of the housing 3. The slide2l may bemade from nylon or other plastic material or from metal if desired. Theslide 21 has a curved surface 21a for holding the follower 20 in spacedrelation from each of the thin wall surfaces 8.

' As shown in FIGS. 7-9, the follower 20 has a base portion 24 with acircular outer surface 25 which has a cut-out portion 26 adjacent to itslower surface 27. Line A and line B are vertical lines at the edges ofthe cut-out portion 26 and its intersection with the outer surface 25.The lines A and B are connected by the arcuatesurface C, which is curvedsufficiently to receive a portion of the cam 19 when the door is in itsdoorclosed position (FIG. 4). The vertical lines A and B are spacedapart about on the outer surface 25 of the follower 20. A

boss 28 is mounted at the top of the cam 15 and has a pin or stud 29thereon. The stud 29 extends outwardly from the elongated opening 15 inthe cover platev I4 and into a top bracket 30 mounted directly on thedoor 1.

The top bracket 30 (FIG. I l) is secured in a cutout portion 31 in thetop edge of the door 1. The top bracket 30 has 'an elongated opening 32,two holes 33, and an opening 34 which receives the stud 29 on thefollower 20. The opening 32 receives a screw therethrough which permitslateral movement so that the top bracket 30 may be adjusted. When inproper position, screws 35 are inserted through the holes 33 to securethe top bracket 30 to the top of the door 1. The inner end 36 of the topbracket 30 is provided with the opening 34, which is positioned'in linewith the stud 29 when the door isclosed (FIG. 4).

A bottom bracket 37 (FIG. 12) is secured to the vertical edge of thedoor 1 near the bottom thereof so that its foot portion 38 is spacedfrom the bottom edge of the door about three-fourths of an inch. Thispermits the door 1 to clear the floor or any rug thereon as the door 1is opened. The vertical or securing portion 39 of the bottom bracket 37has two elongated openings 40 therein for receiving screws, which permitthe bottom bracket 37 to be adjusted vertically within limits. When inproper position, a screw is inserted through a hole 41 to secure thebottom bracket 37 to the door 1. The foot portion.38 has a non-circularor elongated opening 42 therein which registers or mates with the stud29 from the member F.

ln practice, the stud 29 and its cooperating openings 34 and 42 in thetop and bottom brackets 30 and 37, respectively, may be of anycooperating non-circular shape, and the particular elongated shape shownherein is for illustration purposes only. The top bracket 30 and thelower bracket 37-may be referred to as door mounting members D. As shownin FIG. 1, the stud 29 extends downwardly into the top bracket 30. Asshown in FIG. 2, the stud 29 extends upwardly into the bottom bracket37. In some instances, the stud might be connected to the top and bottombrackets and be received with an opening in the follower 20 for pivotingsaid follower 20.

' As shown in FIGS. 2-4, the spring 23 biases the slide 21 leftwardlyagainst the follower 20 when the door 1 is in closed position andmaintains the follower 20 in slightly spaced rela-, tion to the thinwall portions 8. This is further shown in FIG. 1 wherein the stud 29extends downwardly into the top bracket 30, and in FIG. 2 wherein thestud 29 extends upwardly into the bottom or lower bracket 37. The lowerbracket'37 is spaced about three-fourths of an inch from the bottom edgeof the door because most doors are mounted slightly above the thresholdsoas to providea clearance to prevent the door from scraping on thefloor or rug as his being opened. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, when thedoor 1 is pivoted in one direction or another, the brackets 30 and 37cause each stud 29 to pivot, which causes each follower 20 to pivotbetween the thin wall portions 8 of the side walls 5. During thisopening and the initial pivoting of follower 20, the line A at the edgeof the cut-out portion 26 moves along the surface of the cam 19 from itsposition shown in FIG. 4 to the position shown in FIG. 5. In so doing,the follower 20 moves rightwardly as shown but remains in contact withthe hearing or cam 19, thereby moving the slide 21 rightwardly betweenthe thick wall portions 9 of the side walls 5, thereby compressing thespring 23. The force or energy stored within the spring 23 tends to movethe slide 21 and follower 20 leftwardly when the door 1 is released fromsuch a position, thereby returning the door 1 to its closed position asshown in FIG. 4. If the door 1 is simply released from a lesser openposition than shown in FIGS. 5 or 6 the momentum of the door will causeit to pass its closed position and to move between diminishing partiallyopen positions in pendulum fashion until the door 1 finally comes torest in its closed position (FIG. 4). However, if the door 1 is openedto a greater degree than shown, which is about 45, the follower 20 willnot move further laterally between the thin wall portions 8, orrightwardly as shown, but will simply be rotated or pivoted on its ownaxis in the position shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. After the door 1 has beenopened 45, the edge of the door has been moved laterally sufficientlyfar so that no additional lateral movement is needed.

During the opening of the door, the follower 20 pivots because thebearing 19 forces the follower 20 to pivot so that the lines A or B atthe edges of the cut-out portion 26 slide on the bearing 19 as thefollower 20 pivots and moves laterally because of the movement of thebrackets 30 and 37 secured to the door 1. The purpose of the lateral orsidewise movement of the follower 20 is to shift the door 1 laterallyaway from the vertical portion 43 of the frame 2 so as to permit thevertical edge 44 of the door 1 to clear the frame 2 and to cause thedooredge 44 to be closely adjacent to said vertical frame portion 43when the door 1 is closed. v

In all forms of the invention, as the door 1 is opened, the studs 29,which are connected to the brackets 30 and 37, pivot with the door I.This pivots the cam or follower 20 which causes it to move laterallywithin the frame mounting member F. As used herein, the word 'door aplies to doors of various types, to panels, to cabinet doors, an towindows and the like,

' prises a housing adapted to be secured to a non-vertical portion of aframe in which the door is mounted, said housing having a centralopening defined by side walls, end walls, a flat horizontal wall, and ahorizontal plate wall closing said central Y opening, one of saidhorizontal walls having a longitudinal slot therein, movable meansmounted within said central opening adapted to pivot and move laterallytherein, said movable means adapted to receive cooperative movable meansmounted on said door and extending through said longitudinal slot in oneof said horizontal walls in said housing, said movable means within saidhousing adapted to pivot and move laterally when said door is opened ineither direction, said movable means comprises a follower which pivotswithin said central opening and moves laterally therein a predetermineddistance as it pivots initially upon opening of the door.

2. The improvement set forth in claim 2 wherein said central openingcontains a cam and said movable means mounted in said central openingincludes a follower which pivots within said central opening and remainsin contact with said cam during said movement.

3. The improvement set forth in claim 3 wherein said follower moveslaterally a predetermined distance as it pivots initially upon openingof the door.

4. The improvement set forth in claim 3 wherein the follower ha acut-out portion therein and an outer circular surface, and wherein saidhousing has means therein for biasing said follower into contactingrelation with said cam at all times.

5. The improvement set forth in claim 5 wherein the cut-out portion ofsaid follower extends less than around the surface of said follower, andwherein one of the edges of said cutout portion of said follower remainsin contacting relation with said cam as said door is opened partiallyand wherein said outer circular surface of said follower contacts saidcam as said door is opened further.

6. The improvement set forth in claim 3 wherein said follower is biasedinto contacting relation with said cam at all times by means of a guidemounted in said housing in sliding relation with respect to said sidewalls and a spring positioned between said guide and the end walladjacent thereto.

7. The improvement set forth in claim 7 wherein said guide has a curvedsurface which receives said follower in sliding relation and maintainssaid follower in a position spaced from said housing side walls as saidfollower pivots and moves laterally a predetermined amountcaused by thedoor pivoting said follower.

'8. The improvement set forth in claim .7 wherein said follower pivotsand moves laterally between said thin wall portions of the side walls ofsaid housing when said door is being opened and wherein said guideslides between the thick wall portions of the side walls of said housingand biases said follower toward said cam as said follower moveslaterally within said housing as said door is being opened.

9. The improvement set forth in claim 2 wherein said horizontal platewall has the longitudinal slot therein and said movable means mountedwithin the central opening includes a follower having a stud whichextends through said longitudinal slot in said horizontal plate wall andinto said movable means on said door. I

10. The improvement set forth in claim 2wherein said hinge is adapted tobias a door to a closed position only when the door is closedand whenthe door is opened in either direction at an angle less than about 45and is not adapted to bias the door to a closed position after the doorhas been opened more fully in either direction.

' s its a a Patent No. 3,657 ,766

Claim 2 properly depends Claim 3 properly depends Claim 4 properlydepends Claim 5 properly depends Claim 6 properly depends Claim 7properly depends Claim 8 properly (SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. Attesting Officer depends from from from from fromfrom from Invent fl Francis C. Peterggn claim claim claimv mmNhNNl-UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Dated April 25,1972 It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patentand that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

(not (not (not (not (not (not (not Signed and sealed this 1st day ofAugust 1972.

ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Commissioner of Patents FORM PO-(OSO (10-69) USCOMM-DC50376-969 U.5, GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1 I969 0-366-334

1. In a double acting hinge for substantially hidden use in pivoting a door, the improvement wherein said hinge comprises a housing adapted to be secured to a non-vertical portion of a frame in which the door is mounted, said housing having a central opening defined by side walls, end walls, a flat horizontal wall, and a horizontal plate wall closing said central opening, one of said horizontal walls having a longitudinal slot therein, movable means mounted within said central opening adapted to pivot and move laterally therein, said movable means adapted to receive cooperative movable means mounted on said door and extending through said longitudinal slot in one of said horizontal walls in said housing, said movable means within said housing adapted to pivot and move laterally when said door is opened in either direction, said movable means comprises a follower which pivots within said central opening and moves laterally therein a predetermined distance as it pivots initially upon opening of the door.
 2. The improvement set forth in claim 2 wherein said central opening contains a cam and said movable means mounted in said central opening includes a follower which pivots within said central opening and remains in contact with said cam during said movement.
 3. The improvement set forth in claim 3 wherein said follower moves laterally a predetermined distance as it pivots initially upon opening of the door.
 4. The improvement set forth in claim 3 wherein the follower has a cut-out portion therein and an outer circular surface, and wherein said housing has means therein for biasing said follower into contacting relation with said cam at all times.
 5. The improvement set forth in claim 5 wherein the cut-out portion of said follower extends less than 90* around the surface of said follower, and wherein one of the edges of said cut-out portion of said follower remains in contacting relation with said cam as said door is opened partially and wherein said outer circulaR surface of said follower contacts said cam as said door is opened further.
 6. The improvement set forth in claim 3 wherein said follower is biased into contacting relation with said cam at all times by means of a guide mounted in said housing in sliding relation with respect to said side walls and a spring positioned between said guide and the end wall adjacent thereto.
 7. The improvement set forth in claim 7 wherein said guide has a curved surface which receives said follower in sliding relation and maintains said follower in a position spaced from said housing side walls as said follower pivots and moves laterally a predetermined amount caused by the door pivoting said follower.
 8. The improvement set forth in claim 7 wherein said follower pivots and moves laterally between said thin wall portions of the side walls of said housing when said door is being opened and wherein said guide slides between the thick wall portions of the side walls of said housing and biases said follower toward said cam as said follower moves laterally within said housing as said door is being opened.
 9. The improvement set forth in claim 2 wherein said horizontal plate wall has the longitudinal slot therein and said movable means mounted within the central opening includes a follower having a stud which extends through said longitudinal slot in said horizontal plate wall and into said movable means on said door.
 10. The improvement set forth in claim 2 wherein said hinge is adapted to bias a door to a closed position only when the door is closed and when the door is opened in either direction at an angle less than about 45* and is not adapted to bias the door to a closed position after the door has been opened more fully in either direction. 